Draíocht Blog

DRAÍOCHT IS DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE ITS CONTINUED SUPPORT OF HALLELUJAH! IT’S COMMUNITY CLOWN CHOIR

Hallelujah! began in 2012 as part of Veronica Coburn’s Artist in Residency programme in Draíocht for 2012/2013. A Clown Choir is a group of people who gather together to sing and laugh – to sing in celebration of what it is to be human and to laugh at the ridiculousness of the world we live in. Hallelujah! is a choir like no other producing performances that are one part play to two parts song; one part concert to two parts clown theatre. Nobody is asked to do anything that s/he is not comfortable with but for those who are interested in stepping into the spotlight then there is ample opportunity for them to do so.

In 2013 Hallelujah! performed their signature tune, Smile written by Charlie Chaplin, in a variety of places including The Blanchardstown Town Centre, the annual Harvest Fair in Wolfe Tone Square and at The College of Surgeons for Culture Night. The choir also worked on a performance piece about road rage entitled The M50 Symphony. The M50 Symphony was an original work for human voice and car horn. And to finish the year the choir performed their Clown Nativity in The Main Space in Draíocht.

In 2014, we’ll focus on building a musical & red nose repertoire, selection of songs and short clown sketches, suitable for performance in a variety of contexts. We also want to investigate the idea of an original show for the choir inspired by participants' own experiences. This work will be of a more long-term nature to reach fruition in 2015.

We are currently welcoming new members to Hallelujah! If you are sociable, like to sing, like to laugh and are open to trying new things then WE WANT YOU! You don’t have to be a good singer to join Hallelujah! You don’t have to be a performer to join Hallelujah! You just have to be interested and willing. The ethos of Hallelujah! is accessibility, inclusiveness and artistic excellence.

Hallelujah!’s weekly rehearsals for 2014 begin on February 24th 2014. Come along see what it’s all about. You will be introduced to the basic concepts of Clown Theatre and you will learn Hallelujah!’s signature tune.